New York Fashion Week was September 11 through September 16, 2025. While the runways in Manhattan shimmered with global glamour, Frederick has its own rising star shaping the future of fashion: Dr. ChaCha N. Hudson.
A designer, educator, researcher, and advocate for inclusive design, Hudson is proving that world-class fashion innovation can flourish right here in our community.
In an exclusive interview with OUT40 Media, Hudson reflected on her fashion and social justice journey.
“I’ve always worn multiple hats… and I honestly can’t separate them,” she said. “Right now, I’m leaning more into my designer and maker side… sewing and creating, not just as a skill, but as a form of self-expression and self-care.”
To teach fashion well, ChaCha says, she needs to be actively designing and researching. To advocate for inclusive design, she must educate and create. However, ChaCha needed the space to do so. When The SEWcial Café was founded, ChaCha was in graduate school at the University of Delaware and had just closed her sewing studio in Philadelphia. A passion for creative spaces inspired Hudson to launch The SEWcial Café, first as a physical coworking studio in Philadelphia, and now as a virtual collective.
“I couldn’t find a space where I could set up a sewing machine and actually make something,” she said. “I figured I couldn’t be the only sewist or designer who needed a space like that so I built it. We opened in Philadelphia in 2018, and while the pandemic forced us to close our physical location, we’ve since reimagined The SEWcial Café as a virtual community that still brings women together to create, learn, and make their own clothes.”
Her work has not gone unnoticed. In 2020, she received the Exceptional Entrepreneur Award from True Access Capital, a milestone during the uncertainty of the pandemic.
“It meant so much to be recognized for creating a safe, vibrant community,” Hudson said. “That acknowledgment reminded me that even in difficult times, the work we do to empower others is worth it.”
Hudson’s academia shapes everything she does; her research roots run deep. With a Ph.D. in Apparel, Merchandising, and Design and an MS in Fashion and Apparel Studies, she’s focused on fit and accessibility. ChaCha N’Kole is pushing the boundaries of what fashion education and practice can look like on diverse bodies. Her research, especially on inclusive design, directly shapes her creation and curriculum that identifies historical missteps and opportunities for present-day innovation and collaboration, highlighting there is a lot of work left to do.
“There are huge gaps in design research for different body shapes, sizes, and abilities,” she explained. “Filling those gaps is about better representation and accessibility in fashion.”
She’s brought this ethos to classrooms across the globe — from Syracuse University to the University of Delaware, Moore College of Art & Design, and even Ghana.
“Every institution has its own personality,” Hudson said. “Through it all, I’ve learned to lean into the parts of my work that truly light me up… That excitement is contagious.”
For Hudson, community is as central as craft, at the heart of her creative process.
“Building community is one of my superpowers,” she said. “Pair that with our human need to create, and you have the ingredients for a rich, fulfilling life.”
Her advocacy also centers on reshaping how the industry serves plus-size and differently-abled consumers — groups often sidelined by mainstream fashion. ChaCha is dedicated to leading and contributing to an educational and inclusive shift in fashion.
“One of my biggest passions is closing the knowledge gap in how we develop garments for people the fashion industry has historically overlooked. Because of its narrow ideal of the ‘perfect body,’ so many consumers end up in the margins and that list is long. My work focuses on educating designers, both emerging and experienced, about how to design for diverse bodies. That education equips them to create for communities they belong to, collaborate with, or want to serve. We need more literature, more technical resources, and more design research on patternmaking, grading, draping, and technical design for all bodies. It will take time, but I’m committed to contributing to that body of knowledge.”
Those commitments are already making an impact from making a “lateral support cushion for someone in a wheelchair” for pain relief to when she saw her “plus-size collection on a major runway.”
“There have been so many moments that made me certain I’m doing the right work,” Hudson said. “Those moments remind me that design has the power to improve lives.”
And now, Frederick is at the center of her next chapter.
“I’ll be running a 10-week fashion sewing certificate program in Frederick,” she said. “It’s a busy season, but one filled with projects that align perfectly with my mission.”
In addition to growing her online community, ChaCha’s book on plus-size garment development is in review among other notable achievements.
As Fashion Week took over New York this month, Frederick can take pride in knowing ChaCha is helping shape a more inclusive, innovative, and human-centered future for fashion from our local studios to the global stage.
Photo Credit: Tim Taifor, Philadelphia Inquirer, R. Jones Photography